While the US State Department renewed its travel advisory on Pakistan warning its nationals of keeping away, the US Embassy shut down its highly guarded American Centre in the the high security zone here fearing attacks from Islamic militants. The decision to shut the Centre comes close on the heels of the US closing down its Consulate in Karachi last week and attacks on Christian institutions last week. ‘‘The Centre in Islamabad has been closed for security reasons until further notice,’’ Linda Cheatham, acting public affairs officer at US Embassy, informed the local daily Dawn today. ‘‘The staff will however keep working,’’ she said without specifying from where they would be working. However the American centres in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar would continue to function as of now, she said. The US Embassy here has drastically cut down its activities but continued to function virtually in a besieged environment under a tight security blanket. Asked whether there were any plans to close down the US Embassy, Cheatham said ‘‘not that I know of.’’ She declined to give any details who actually took the decision to close down the Centre. The US State Department in its travel warning cited attacks on Christian facilities and the indefinite closing of the US Consulate in Karachi, as well as likely anti-US backlash for sentencing of four men for the murder of reporter Daniel Pearl as reasons for its nationals to keep away from the country.
